Archive for Make Better Photographs – Page 12

A Photographer’s Diary, How is it Thursday already?

By Ruth Bayley
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

This week and last week seems to have flown by, each weeks, it’s gotten to Thursday and I’ve wondered ‘How is it Thursday already? The scheduling my days in a diary is partly responsible I think; it helps me put so much more into a day and keep me pretty true to what I’ve scheduled. The days are more productive and they whizz by.

Last Thursday it was the monthly mastermind call with our regular business meeting. I so look forward to these calls, it’s good to catch up with people who are all busy doing different things and it’s good to just have a chat with other supportive women who have some wonderful philosophies in life.

This call was really pivotal for me. I have decided to give a presentation at a local hotel, to local businesses, councils, schools and press, all about Healing with Photography. This will be the first time I’ve done this kind of thing. I’ve done presentations before yet never for something that is so personal or directly related to me, and I am so looking forward to sharing my work and demonstrating how it can help the companies present and their staff. Read More→

Categories : Inspiration, Make Better Photographs
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The Importance Of Wedding Preparation Photography Part 2

By Robert Hillis
Thursday, March 1st, 2012

In my last post I dived into the items that I like to focus on during wedding prep and why they are so important to a couples wedding album. While in the scope of the entire wedding ceremony it is but a small part, in terms of the photography it plays a very large role. So large in fact that I was only able to dive into what I focus on during the bridal prep. In this post we get to talk about the guys.

Guys can be hard to photograph. Often times they are uncomfortable in front of the camera, uncomfortable with a stranger in their mist with a device that records their every move, and uncomfortable showing their feelings and emotions of their boy who’s about to “go the distance”. I have tried many different things over the years to try and get guys to lighten up around me. We all have our own methods but really when it comes down to it, just blend in.

Introduce yourself when you walk into the room. I always immediately seek out the groom and offer my congratulations and let him and the other gentlemen know why I am there. Introductions are made and I usually step over the side of the room to be out of the center of attention and to let the guys go back to doing what they were doing. Guys are different when it comes to their preparation. There is less “oohing” and “aaahing” and more high fives and whiskey glass cheers. Capturing these moments are what matters to the client.

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Categories : Make Better Photographs, Wedding Photography
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Scenic Outlook – A Word on Lenses

By Dave Wares
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

I was having a thought to myself the other day about the types of lenses, or more specifically, the focal length of lenses that every Landscape photographer would think about having in their bag. So I’m going to briefly run through the things you might want to consider when packing your gear for a particular location. Also, this is not going to be about zooms vs primes, merely focal lengths and their effect on a scene.

Most people would think that the 18-50mm or 28-70mm (35mm equiv) would be a pretty safe bet to cover most situations, and they’d be right; in fact most of the pictures I take are within these focal ranges, so I would recommend that you keep something similar in your bag at all times.  Most people would also say that a super-wide angle lens in the range of 10-24mm would also be a good accessory to have in their bag. These are great when you want to go that extra mile to either a). Get more elements into the shot, or b). Exaggerate the perspective. When working with very wide angle lenses it is important to make sure that all the elements you are seeing with your eye are not lost when you’re looking through the view finder. Because the angle of view is much wider, the elements in the scene become much smaller, so make sure that the lovely rocky outcrop in the distance doesn’t become a bunch of pebbles you can barely see at all. When using these lenses be sure to compose your images with strong elements that lead the viewer  from the foreground to the middle and on into the distance.

(18mm Crop sensor)

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Categories : City and Landscape Photography, Make Better Photographs
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A Photographer’s Diary, Accountability

By Ruth Bayley
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

How would it be if not only did you get do away with your to do lists, you had someone there to make sure you completed all the tasks you set yourself each week? Step forward an accountability partner.

Since the year has begun I’ve been looking for a way to help me keep on track with my goals and just give myself some extra motivation. Something to help me complete tasks on those days when, you know how it is, you just feel a little sluggish and think everything can wait until tomorrow.

A winter lane

This new process I’ve put into my life is paying dividends. I now have an accountability partner. This is a friend and business woman who was also looking for a way to keep on track with her goals for the year.

At the beginning of every week we email each other a list of tasks that we want to complete for the week. Then on Friday we either have a phone call to check how we’ve done or we email with a list of what we’ve completed. Read More→

Categories : Inspiration, Make Better Photographs
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A Photographer’s Diary, Evidence of Modern Day Life

By Ruth Bayley
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

As I went out to take photos the other day of frosty trees in the countryside, I was plagued by the same old thought. Must we as photographers’ remove all trace of modern day living from our photos? If you live in a suburban countryside electricity pylons and telephone cables, bringing us all our creature comforts at home that we love and need, are likely to stretch their way across the landscape.

Costal idyl with phone wires

It’s not just pylons that can intrude on a photo. So many houses now have satellite dishes adorning them; do we dismiss the property in our photo because it has this sign of modern life? The paintings and Christmas card scenes that we love, showing times of horse drawn carriages, oil lamps on the street seem to signify for us a time honoured period that conjures up warm thoughts of a simpler time. Yet artists the world over record what is happening in history, their horse drawn carriages and oil lamps are very possibly our equivalent of electricity pylons that become a point of tension in our photos. Read More→

Categories : Inspiration, Make Better Photographs

Scenic Outlook – Impressions

By Dave Wares
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

We all love to go out and get those pin sharp, beautifully lit shots of our countrysides and cities, but for today’s post we are going to ignore all of what we have learned about how to make great landscape photographs and look at another way of shooting…Impressionistic photography.

By no means a new idea, it has come and gone over the past few years falling in and out of favour as trends change. However, I do believe that used thoughtfully, impressionistic photography has as much of a place as any other type of photographic style. Impressionistic photography is not about producing a big splash of colour on the page, the picture at some level must relate to what is being photographed. The aim is to create a more painterly effect, perhaps with the intention of evoking a dreamier mood, or to show movement of a particular subject. Read More→

Categories : City and Landscape Photography, Make Better Photographs
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